A young sous chef is buying flowers,
They put him in a trance.
He'll give them to a lady tonight,
And ask her for a dance.
And the flowers are so colourful,
His face as white as a ghost.
But there is nothing about his life,
That he can find to boast.
Maybe he won't find success tonight,
Stood alone at the wall.
Something tells him he'll go home this time,
A mattress in the hall.

Emily teaches kids poetry,
Doting upon her past.
It's not the first time that she's pondered,
And it won't be her last.
At night she lights the scented candles,
Her dreams just out of reach.
Sometimes it is just too much to take,
Perhaps she'll try some bleach.
She wonders where all her friends have gone,
It makes her feel so small.
This is but one of many nights she's,
A mattress in the hall.

An athlete is training in the gym,
Winning is on his mind.
But contentedness is the one thing,
He feels he cannot find.
He started training his strong body,
To claim a girl he prized.
But just that one woman's rejection,
Cut him down to size.
He looks upon all of his winnings,
His medals make a shawl.
But once again he's feeling like,
A mattress in the hall.

Now Bethany needs a reminder,
To take her Prozac pills.
And start looking for a steady job,
To help her pay the bills.
Unemployed from her time gambling,
Hardships came in a flood.
She is scrounging off her family,
To keep her playing stud.
"Would you hit me one more time my friend?",
She wretches in her drawl.
She sees her reflection in her glass,
A mattress in the hall.

And me? Well I just sit silently,
Trying to find some strength.
To locate happiness in my life,
I'll go to any length.
I write songs that don't have melodies,
I only have the words.
A momentary lapse of reason,
Can save it for the birds.
Every night for several months,
I sleep after a bawl.
Every day for many years I'm,
A mattress in the hall.